Printing-plate and method of making the same



I. W. LITCHFIELD. I PRINTING PLATE AND METHOD or MAKING THE SAME.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 3,1919.

1,35 1,954. I Patentedsept. 7, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I- ij gf4. 1 J J 1 15' J5 J6 J7 5 &

I. W. LITCHFIELD. PRINTINGPLATE AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME. APPLICATION FILED JULY 3.1919. 1,351,954. PatentedSept. 7,1920.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2- W. LITCHFIELD. PRINTING PLATE AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 3.1919.

1,351,954. PatentedSept. 7,1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- ISAAC W. LITCHFIELD, OF NEWTONVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO LITCHFIELD UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LINOPLATE CO., 015 BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

PRINTING-PLATE AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME.

Application filed July 3,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ISAAC W. LITCHFIELD, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Newtonville, Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Printing-Plates and Methods of Making the Same, which invention is fully set forth in the following specification.

This invention relates to printing plates and methods of making the same.

In accordance with the present practice, when it is desired that a printing plate be preserved for future reproduction of copies,

the type is composed into a page or column and an electrotype made therefrom, after which the page or column is broken up and melted for reuse of the type metal. The making of an electrotype, however, is more or less ex ensive and consumes considerable labor an time; furthermore, small printing establishments are not provided with electrotyping facilities and this work has to I be sent out to shops where electroplating is done-which is both expensive and timeconsuming. It is an object of this invention to provide a printing plate without the use of electrotyping, so that the time and expense incident to this procedure may be avoided and sothat printing establishments not provided with facilities for electroplatin may make their own printing plates.

eretofore, it has not been practicable to. make a permanent printing late out of the slugs of type as they come rom the monot pc or linotype machine, both because of t e quantity of type metal that would be withdrawn from use by so employing the original type slugs, and because of the weight and bulk of a plate so constructed. It is an object of this invention to provide a printing plate which is'made up of the type as it comes from the type machine. which plate will withdraw from re-use only a small quantity of type metal, and which plate will consume substantially no more storage space than the electrotypes heretofore in use.

Further objects of this invention relate to the provision of a printing plate which may be quickly and simply constructed without necessity for an expensive equipment or highly skilled labor; which, while temporarily withdrawing from reuse a small quan- Speciflcation of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. '7, 1920. 1919. Serial No. 308,441.

tity of type metal, does not injure such metal or prevent its reuse when the plate is to be broken up and melted; and which is strong, durable and etlicient in making printing impressions. Other objects will appear as the description of the invention proceeds.

Stated broadly, the method of this invention comprises the production of a relatively thin plate of assembled lines of short type, said plate being preferably made of a thickness substantially equal to the thickness of the usual electrotype, by rigidly uniting said lines of type into an integral plate from which printing. impressions may be made directly. The preferred procedure, stated gen erally, is to assemble lines of type in plate formation in a form which holds the lines of type rigidly against displacement during the subsequent ope1 ations, cut off the backs of said assembled lines of type to substantially electrotype thickness, provide the backs of the reduced type with a plurality of recesses which run transversely of the length of the lines, place reinforcing means in said recesses, and bond said lines of type and reinforcing means into a rigid integral plate. The invention also comprises a rigid printing plate constructed of integrallyunited lines of short type, said plate preferably having substantially the same thickness as the usual electrotype.

The invention is capable of receiving a variety of expressions; the method may be carried out in a variety of ways and the product may receive a variety of forms; and some of these methods and products are illustrated, more or less diagrammatically, on the accompanying drawings. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for purposes of illustration only, and are not to be construed as a definition of the limits of the invention, reference being had to the appended claims for that purpose.

.In said drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of a line of type produced by a linotype machine and from a plurality of which a printing plate is to be made.

Fig. 2 is an obverse perspective view of the same line of type.

Fig. 3 is an elevation, partly in section, of lines of type assembled in a form or I type against relative displacement during,

galley suitable for retaining said lines of the manufacture of the printing plate.

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are diagrammatic views illustrating different ways by which the lines of type may be integrally united.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a form of reinforcing member that may be used in the method represented by Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic view of a manner of mounting the finished plate on a backing member.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a line of type cast of substantially the same thickness as the finished plate.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a plate ipmposed of the lines of type shown in Fig. 11 is a diagrammatic view of a suitable form of galley for holding the lines of type of Figs. 9 and 10 against relative displacement during the subsequent. manufacture of the plate.

Fig. 12 is a diagrammatic view illustrating a plate as shown in Fig. 10 provided with a reinforcing member at a longitudinal ed e thereof.

Fig. 13 is a bottom perspective view of a galley provided with slots to facilitate uniting of the lines of type into an integral late. p Figs. 14 and 15 are diagrammatic views illustrating ways by which the finished plate of Fig. 10 may be mounted on a backing member.

Figs. 16 and 17 are'respectively an edge view and a face View of a different form of line of type which may be employed in the manufacture of printing plates in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 18 is a bottom perspective view of a printing plate employing longitudinal reinforcing members in the back thereof and undercut grooves for receiving said reinforcing members.

Referring, first, to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the printing plate may be initially built up by assembling in plate formation a plurality of lines of type 1 of the size conventionally produced by the usual linotype machine. These lines of type may be of uniform transverse thickness, or they may be relieved to nearly the face of the type in a known manner, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, in which event the feet of the type will be of reduced thickness, as shown at 2, and the slug will have at intervals ribs 3 of the full thickness of the slug for the proper spacing of the lines of type when assembled in page or column formation. In place of integral slugs as conventionally produced by a linotype machine, however, the lines of type may be built up of individual type, such for example as come from a monotype machine, and united into lines in any suitable way.

YVhen the lines of type are relieved, as shown in Fig. 1, the height of the unrelieved portion 4 is, by preference, substantially the same as the desired thicknessof the fin ished plate, 71. e. the thickness of the usual electrotype, or slightly in excess thereof, for example three-sixteenths of an inch.

The lines of type 1 from which the plate is to be made are provided, in the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3, with a plurality of transverse grooves 5 which extend through the backs of the t pe into the unrelieved portions 4 thereof.

ny suitable number of grooves may be employed, the drawings illustrating four. These grooves may be planed or sawed into the slug after it comes from the linotype machine, or they may be cast in the slug as it comes from said machine. In this form of the invention, the slugs are also provided at each end with overhanging shoulders 6, shown .as having a beveled under surface, which shoulders may be cast on the slugs in any suitable way.

he lines of type are then assembled in plate formation in any suitable way, and securely and rigidly locked up in a form or galley of any suitable construction. order to prevent relative displacement of the lines of type during the subsequent treatment, said lines must be so locked up as to prevent relative displacement thereof in their own planes as well as transversely thereto. When the lines of type are pro vided with over-hanging shoulders 6 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the form or galley may be constructed as diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 3, wherein the type are shown as assembled face downward on the inner plane bottom surface of the galley 7. This galley has a fixed upstanding side and end, and an adjustable upstanding side and end. The fixed side 8 and the adjstable side 9 are provided with over-hanging shoulders 10 for securely and rigidly clamping both vertically and horizontally the shoulders 6 on the lines of type 1. The adjustable members of the galley may be moved in any suitable way, as by bolts 11, and may be fixed in adjusted position in any suitable way, as by lock screws 12. It will therefore be perceived that, by screwing up bolts 11 until the lines of type are firmly clamped at their shoulders 6 and by locking the movable side 9 in adjusted position (it being assumed that the adjustable end member has also been moved to firmly lock the type in position longitudinally of the plate), the assembled lines of type are held firmly and securely against displacement in any direction.

The backs of the lines 'of type are then cut off so as to leave the assembled faces of the type in plateformation and of relatively small thickness, preferably substantially that of the usual electrotype plate. The backs may be cut off in any suitable way; for example, the assembled type may be moved along a gage plate into coaction with a saw of any suitable construction.

The assembled lines of short type 13 are now provided along their backs with a plurality of alined transverse grooves 14 (Fig. 4). When the grooves 5 are provided in the lines of type before the backs of the same are cut off as heretofore described, said grooves 14 are already present as the bottom portions of said grooves 5. In the preferred practice of the invention, however, the backs of the type are first cut off and the grooves 14 thereafter cut in the plate in any suitable way, as by moving a gang saw or planing tools transversely of the lines of assembled type. In this latter procedure the clamping galley illustrated in Fig. 3 effectively prevents displacement of the lines of type by the action of the saw blades or planing tools.

The assembled lines of type in plate formation are now united in any suitable way to form a rigidv integral plate. Referring to Fig. 4, reinforcing wires or rods 15 are preferably laid in the grooves 14 and plastic material 16 filled into said grooves to secure the reinforcing members therein and firmly interlock the lines of type and reinforcing members into a rigid integral plate. The plastic material employed may be of any suitable nature, preferably melted solder. In place of solder, however, other materials may be used, both thermo-plastic and nonthermo-plastic so long as it is capable of uniting said lines of type and reinforcment into a rigid plate. Thus, lead or leadwool may be pressed into undercut grooves to firmly retain the reinforcing members therein, care being taken not to exert such pressure as to in any way injure the face of the type. The reinforceing members 15 may be of any suitable shape and of any suitable material; they should be of such material as not to injure the ty e metal when remelted and are desirably o a metal,

such as steel, of such high melting point as not to melt when the type metal is remelted but which will float thereon so as to be readily removed. In lace of U-shaped grooves, as shown in ig. 4, said grooves may be cast or subsequently cut -so as to provide undercut surfaces as shown at 44 in ig. 10. This construction, even though the plastic or other here to the type, will effect an interlock between the reinforcing members and the type so as to unite the same into an integral plate.

In place of the connection heretofore described, the lines of type may be rigidly and integrally connected in a variety of other ways. Thus, the gIOOVes may be undercut to provide a dovetail groove, as shown at 17 in Fig. 5, in which event the reinforcmaterial does not firmly ading member 18 may also have a corresponding dovetail formation, and may or may not be soldered in position. In place of the dovetail reinforcing member 18, a bowed compressible plate, as shown at 19 in Fig. 6, may be placed in each groove and pressed down into clamping engagement therewith, care being taken that the pressure he not such as to injure the face of the type. The groove 17 is preferably thereafter filled in with plastic or other bonding material. If a bowed plate 19 be employed, its longitudinal edges may be'serrated as shown at 20 in Fig. 7, or otherwise suitably constructed, to provide a more intimate gripping contact between said plate and the walls of each roove. While it is desirable that reinforcmg members be employed as heretofore described, such is not essential, as under certain conditions the plastic or other bonding material employed in the grooves 14' may effect a sufficient integral connection between the lines of type if such bonding material be of sufficient rigidity. Furthermore, in place of grooves, recesses of any other suitable formation may be employed and the plastic or other bonding material, without but preferably with reinforcing members, flowed or otherwise forced into said recesses; the edges of the type may be chamfered to provide intermediate grooves in which the plastic or other material acts to bond the lines of type together; or apertures or irregularities of various formations may be made in the backs of the type for receiving the bonding material. In addition to the methods of bonding heretofore described, said lines of type may be fused into a unit to any suitable extent and in any suitable way, as by the use of a soldering iron or a pencil oxygen fiame, but when fusing is used the reinforcing means heretofore described is preferably employed to vided with shoulders 6 as shown in Figs. 1 to 3, special blocks to receive said shoulders may be employed. Alternatively, the edges of the plates may be beveled as shown at 21 (Fig. 8) so that the plate maybe held in the usual patent blocks employed for retaining electrotypes. Or the plate may be otherwise secured directly to a backing member 22 of wood or any other suitable material,

There is now provided a printing plate which withdraws from use but a small proportion of type metal and which occupies substantially the same space as the electrotypes heretofore in use.

In place of starting with lines of type of the height conventionally produced by linotype machines, the lines of type may be originally cast or built up of type of reduced thickness, as shown in Fig. 9, wherein 23 is an integral line of type of a height approximately equal to the desired thickness of the finished plate-three-sixteenths of an inch, for example. These lines of type may be provided as cast with a plurality of grooves 24, or said grooves may be cut or planed into the back surface of the type either before or after the same are assembled in plate formation. Also, in place of grooves 24, the type may be chamfered or otherwise provided with recesses of any other suitable formation, as discussed above, or fusing may be employed for uniting the lines of type into an integral plate.

Referring to Figs. 10 and 11, an alternative construction is disclosed for insuring that the lines of type shall not be relativelydisplaced during the subsequent treatment thereof. In this form of the invention, lines of type of reduced thickness, whether as ori inally cast or as cut down, are assembled ant? securely locked up in a galley 25 having sides preferably slightly less than one-half the height of the type. A longitudinal groove 26 is then planed or sawed in each longitudinal edge of the assembled plate to receive fins 27 on the sides of a galley 28 having a plane inner bottom surface for engagement with the face of the type. Galley 28 preferably has a fixed end and side, and an adjustable end and side for securely clamping the type, the adjustable side being shown at 29 and operative by any suitable means, as the bolt 30. The galley 25 may now be removed to expose the back of the type for cutting grooves or. recesses therein, if the same have not previously been provided, and for integrally uniting the lines of type in any of the methods heretofore described. In place of the galley 25 with low sides, a galley with higher sides but provided with longitudinal grooves therein for receiving the saw blade or planing tool may be employed. It is also to be understood that this manner of locking the lines of type against relative displacement may be employed, in place of the over-hanging shoulders 6, with type of linotype helght as shown in Figs. 1 to 3.

To securely hold the lines of type against relative displacement L-shaped reinforcing members 31 may be inserted in the grooves 26 and soldered or otherwise suitably secured therein. This manner of connection and reinforcement may be employed in place Lemma of but preferably in connection with any of the methods of connection and reinforcement heretofore discussed.

In place of cutting the grooves 26 in the ends of the lines of type, said grooves may be initially cast therein, and when such grooves 26 are employed the finished plate may be mounted on a backing member by use of means which enter said grooves. Thus, in Fig. 14 the finished plate is shown as mounted on a backing member 32 by use of triangular attaching members 33 provided with fins 34 for engagement in the grooves 26, and in Fig. 15 the finished plate is shown as mounted on a backing member 35 by use of flanged attaching members 36 provided with fins 37 for engagement in said grooves 26.

In place of a galley as shown in Fig. 11 for assembling the lines of type, said lines of type may be assembled in a galley 38 (Fig. 13) provided, in the bottom thereof, with longitudinal slots 39 for registry with the grooves 24 in the back of the type. \Vith this construction, the galley may be inverted with the face of the t pe in engagement with a level plate 40, and the reinforcing members or the bonding material or both may be put into the grooves 24 through said slots 39.

When the type is cast of linotype height the back thereof may be uniformly relieved, as shown at 41 (Figs. 16 and 17) to a depth such that the unrelieved portion 42 is of substantially the same thickness as the desired thickness of the finished plate. The extent to which said backs are relieved may be varied, but the thickness retained should not be less than the thinnest ejector used in a lintoype machinkfor example .03". These backs may then be cut off after the lines of type are assembled, as heretofore described in connection with the embodiment represented by Figs. 1 to 3. With lines of type of this construction the grooves 43 may be initially cast in the unrelieved portions 42; if they do not extend through the thickness of the type (see Fig. 16), saws or planing tools may be employed for cutting out the material left in said grooves; but the grooves or other recesses are preferably out after the backs 41 have been removed. In cutting out said grooves 43, as just described, said grooves may be also undercut, as shown at 44 in Fig. 18, for the purpose heretofore described. Also, the ends of thegrooves may be enlarged as shown at 45, Fig. 18, so that the bonding material may form an interlocking head at each end of each groove, and thereby further assist in maintaining the lines of type as an integral unit.

It will therefore be perceived that there has been provided a printing plate and a method of making the same which employs the initial type, and thereby entirely avoids the step of electrotyping, and which, at the same time, Withdraws but a small proportion of type metal from re-use. Furthermore, the finished plate is of no greater bulk than the electrotypes heretofore in use, and this plate may be constructed without the use of expensive equipment or highly skilled labor, whereby the method'is available for use in small printing establishments, enabling the'plates to be quickly and simply manufactured therein.

While the method heretofore outlined has been described with considerable particularity and the product of such method has been described with considerable detail, it is to be expressly understood that the invention is not limited thereto, as the same is capable of a variety of expressions, some of which will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, while certain features thereof are capable of use without other features thereof. Reference is therefore to be had to. the claims hereto appended for a definition of the limits of the invention. In said claims, it is to be understood that the exact order of steps is not es sential; for example the recesses may be formed in the backs of the lines of type at any suitable time, either before or after the assembly of'the lines of type in plate formation and either before or after said lines of type are reduced in height. The term bonding is also to be understood as including soldering, fusing or any other suitable way of securing the reinforcing means to the lines of type to form a rigid plate capable of use in making directly the printing impressions.

at is claimed is 1. The method of making a printing plate which comprises assembling in plate formation a plurality of lines of type, positioning reinforcing means transversely of the lines of type at distributed points along the back thereof, and bonding said reinforcing means and lines of type into a rigid integral plate from which to make directly the printing impressions.

2. The method of making a printing plate which comprises assembling in plate formation a plurality of lines of type, providing recesses in the backs of the lines of type, positioning reinforcing means in said recesses, and bonding said reinforcing means and lines of type into a rigid integral plate from which to make directly the printing impressions.

3. The method of making a printing plate which comprises assembling in plate formation a plurality of lines of type, reducing the thickness of the assembled plate, and

integrally uniting the reduced lines of type along their backs at spaced points intermediate their ends to form a rigid plate from which to make directly the printing impressions.

4. The method of making a printing plate which comprises assembling in plate formation a plurality of lines of type, reducing the thickness of the assembled plate, positioning reinforcing means transversely of the backs of the reduced lines of type, and bonding said reinforcing means and lines of type to form an integral plate from which to make directly the printing impressions. I

5. The method of making a printing plate which comprises assembling in plate formation a plurality of lines of type, reducing the thickness of the assembled plate, providing recesses in the lines of type, positioning reinforcing means in said recesses, and bonding said reinforcing means and said lines of type into an integral plate from which to make directly the printing impressions.

6. The method of making a printing plate which comprises assembling in plate formation a plurality of lines of ty e, cutting grooves in the back of the assem led plate, and integrally uniting said lines of type along said grooves to form a rigid plate from which to make directly the printing impressions.

7. The method of making a printing plate which comprises assembling in plate formation a plurality of lines of type, cutting grooves in the back of the assembled plate, placing reinforcing members in said grooves and bonding said reinforcing members to said lines of type to form an integral plate from which to make directly the printing impressions.

8. The method of making a printing plate which comprises assembling in plate formation a plurality of lines of type, reducing the thickness of the assembled plate to substantially electrotype thickness, and reinforcing and uniting said reduced lines of type to form an integral plate from which to make directly the printing impressions.

9. The method of making a printing plate which comprises assembling in plate formation a plurality of lines of type, reducing the thickness of the assembled plate to substantially electrotype thickness, forming recesses in the backs of the reduced lines of type, and securing reinforcing means in said recesses to form an integral plate from which to make directly the printing impressions.

10.- The method of making a printing plate which comprises assembling a plurality of lines of type in a form which interlocks with said lines of type, cutting off the backs of the assembled lines of type, and reinforcing and uniting said lines of type to provide an integral plate from which to make directly the printing impressions.

11. The method of making a printing plate which comprises assembling a plurality of lines of type in a form which interlocks with said lines of type, cutting off the backs of the lines of type while in said form, providing recesses in the backs of the reduced lines of type while still in said form, and reinforcing and uniting said lines of type by means in said recesses to provide an integral plate from which to make directly the printing impressions.

12. The method of making a printing plate which comprises assembling a plurality of lines of type in a form which interlocks with said lines of type, cutting grooves in the back of'the assembled lines of type, and securing reinforcing means in said grooves to provide an integral plate from which to make directly the printing impressions.

13. The method of making a printing plate which comprises casting a plurality of slugs of type provided with shoulders at their ends, assembling said slugs in a form which grips said shoulders to prevent relative displacement, cutting off the backs of the assembled lines of type, and integrally uniting said lines of type to form a rigid plate from which to make directly the printing impressions.

14 The method of making a printing plate which comprises casting a plurality of slugs of type provided with shoulders at their ends, assembling said slugs in a form V which grips said shoulders to prevent relative displacement, providing recesses in the backs of the assembled lines of type, and integrally uniting said lines of type by means in said recesses to form a rigid plate from which to make directly the printing impressions.

15. The method of making printing plates which comprises providing a plurality of lines of type assembled in plate formation and having transverse grooves in the back thereof, positioning relatively stiff reinforcing members in said grooves, and securing said reinforcing members to said lines of type to form an integral rigid late from which to make directly the printing impressions.

16. A printing plate composed of a pluralif of lines of type integrally united into a rigid plate by reinforcing members extending transversely of the lines of type at spaced points along the back thereof.

17. A printing plate composed of a plurality of lines of type of substantially electrotype height integrally united into a rigid plate by a plurality of reinforcing members secured to the back thereof.

18. A printing plate composed of a plurality of lines of type of substantially electrotype height integrally united into a rigid plate by reinforcing members secured in grooves in the backs thereof.

19. A printing plate composed of a plurality of lines of type of reduced height integrally united into a rigid plate by reinforcing members soldered into the backs thereof.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification.

ISAAC W. LITCHFIELD. 

